Page 135 of Evil Bones
“Fire away,” I said, sounding far more confident than I felt.
“Are you enjoying the accommodations?”
I felt my skin crawl. The voice was now high and warbly, like that of an elderly female. Had two people entered?
“I’ve had worse,” I managed, steady, though adrenaline was pumping full blast.
The response was a macabre high giggle.
“You find this funny?” I asked, largely to keep him talking. Her? Them?
“I do.”
“People will be looking for me.”
“Sadly, they won’t find you.”
“You’re fooling yourself.”
“Am I, Dr. Brennan?”
My name! I wasn’t a random victim!
“So.” The boots widened their stance. “Do you think this little experiment isevilenough?” Giving a savage twist to the word.
“What little experiment?” I shot back.
“I suppose we could call it phobia games.”
My mind scrabbled to connect dots. Experiment. Evil. Phobia. Where had that discussion taken place? With whom?
“Oh. Wait. I have that wrong.” Now delivered in a baby voice that sent a slam of electricity straight to my breastbone. “Enclosed spaces isRuthie’sworst fear. You’re frightened of losing people you love.”
I said nothing.
“Or. We could call this an experiment in terror.”
“Is that why you kill and decorate animals? To get off on their terror?” Anything to keep him or her talking. To buy time.
“I couldn’t care less about animals. My interest is in the humans who happen upon my work.”
“You skulk like a sewer rat waiting for some poor chump to find your displays?”
“You disappoint me, doc.” Tone undisturbed by any whisper ofwarmth or disappointment. “Ever hear of GoPro cameras? The little beauties are so small even your CSU brain trust misses them.”
“You’re sick.”
“Perhaps.”
“What you do is risky.”
“I don’t mind risk.”
“Your demented little game will end with you in jail.” Unable to keep the revulsion from my voice.
“I doubt it.”
“Why target me?” I asked after an unnerving stretch of silence.
